The Unmistakable Scent
W. Carl Ketcherside
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"Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on Christ's triumphant way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We Christians have the unmistakable 'scent' of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death. To the latter it seems like the deathly smell of doom, to the former it has the refreshing fragrance of life itself" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
At first glance it seems rather incongruous to compare the spread of knowledge in the world with the pervasion of the atmosphere by perfume. On second thought it may be agreed that the illustration is quite appropriate. Men tend to breathe in the glory of Christ and are affected by it exactly as they are stimulated by the sense of smell.
The picture in the mind of Paul was the stirring one of a Roman triumph. This was the most elaborate spectacle ever staged in the Empire. A conquering general returning to his homeland was accorded this glittering honor. The conqueror was arrayed in a lustrous robe of rich purple, embroidered with gold thread depicting his victories. A crown of pure gold rested upon his head, while a branch of laurel, the symbol of victory, was carried in his hand.
He rode in a beautiful chariot decorated with plates of ivory and chains of gold. The chariot was drawn by a team of white horses. Standing at the back of the general was a slave who continually screamed accusations and described in a
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Musicians led the procession, while the chariot was followed by wagons loaded with spoils, and by a train of kings, princes and captains who were captives of war. Attendants accompanied the parade waving censers of perfumed incense reserved only for such occasions. Always some of the captives who had violated covenants and rebelled were led to death, while others who had been submissive were liberated. Frequently these became allies.
Thus, some of those who smelled the perfume wafted upon the air from the swinging censers knew that it betokened the approach of death, while others recognized that it was a portent of the life and liberty which would soon be accorded unto them.
The apostle knew that his description would be understood at Corinth. Two centuries before he wrote, Lucius Mummius, a Roman consul, had swept across their province and laid Corinth and other cities waste. The Roman senate accorded him a triumph, and bestowed upon him the name Achaicus because of his devastation of Achaia. Written into the official annals of the city were the names of those who had been taken to Rome, some to be killed and others to be saved from death.
Now the apostle was in the vanguard of another conquest of Corinth. This one was made with the sword of the Spirit and not the blade of steel. So he wrote to them in this same letter, "The battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God's warfare for the destruction of the enemy's strongholds. Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy and every imposing defence that men can erect against the true knowledge of God."
In our lead passage he ascribes thanks to God for the divine leadership which makes possible the triumphant procession of Christ everywhere. Throughout the world the incense of the testimony of the apostles is wafted upward like a lovely perfume, and the atmosphere of every nook and cranny of the Greek world is infused by it.
Wherever Christians go the scent of Christ is perceived. It is unique and unmistakable, a blend of the finest qualities of grace and truth. It purifies the air and makes life more pleasant and endurable. Yet it is a heady fragrance which has a varied effect. Those who are heading for death imagine it to be the smell of doom, bringing with it the anticipation of grave disaster. To the rest it is the very breath of life itself. I know because I am in the victory train by adoption of the captain of my salvation, through his grace.